[0] L.A. WASTES PARK'S GEM; REDS, ONE OUT FROM DEFEAT, EXPLODE IN NINTH AND 12TH : CINCINNATI 8 DODGERS 4.

Byline: Matt McHale Daily News Staff Writer

Unless Randy Johnson could have arrived here in time to close out the game, he was of little use to Chan Ho Park.

Park was much more concerned Friday night with Barry Larkin than Johnson, the central figure in the Dodgers' pending blockbuster trade with the Seattle Mariners. And Park never figured he had to worry about Scott Radinsky.

But there was Park after his strongest outing in a month watching Radinsky throw away a game the Dodgers lost 8-4 to the Cincinnati Reds in 12 innings in front of 41,479 at Dodger Stadium.

It didn't matter that Dennis Reyes allowed five consecutive hits with two outs in the 12th. Park's night was shattered when Radinsky blew a 4-2 lead with two outs in the ninth.

``The guy pitched a great game and I screwed it up,'' Radinsky said. ``It's as simple as that.''

Radinsky, in search of his 11th save in 13 attempts, allowed four consecutive hits after retiring the first two batters he faced. Reggie Sanders tied the game with a base hit, scoring John Nunnally.

``Two outs, nobody on, two-run game - you've got to win that game,'' manager Bill Russell said. ``Those kinds of games will haunt you when you get to September.''

A victory would have been the Dodgers ninth in 13 games since the May 15 trade with Florida and moved them within five games of San Diego in the National League West.

Instead, they had their eighth blown save in 21 opportunities. The Reds, who began the night last in the NL Central, won for the first time in five games this year on the West Coast.

``We have a young cast here and it is important for the team's confidence to beat a team playing as well as the Dodgers,'' Larkin said.

Friday night in Tampa, Johnson struck out 10 in eight innings as the Mariners defeated the Devil Rays.

After the game, ESPN reported that a deal had been completed with the Dodgers for Johnson that included pitcher Hideo Nomo and outfielders Wilton Guerrero and Roger Cedeno. The Dodgers placed a call to the network saying that the deal was not completed. Dodgers executive vice president Fred Claire denied that those three players were involved in the trade talks.

Park, gone after just three innings in his last start, pitched a season-high eight innings and limited the Reds to six hits. Larkin hit a home run in the third inning, but it was the last run Park allowed.

``I regained my confidence once again,'' Park said. ``I lose my confidence when I think about giving up runs with runners on base. I try to throw strikes and I think I will pitch this way until I get into a groove.''

Park received offensive support from catcher Charles Johnson, who hit a home run for the second consecutive game. And Park got a home run by Raul Mondesi to open the seventh, his 13th, and fifth since the May 15 trade.

Park also got another strong game from the Dodgers defense, which converted five double plays the night before. Jose Vizcaino robbed Larkin of a base hit when he threw him out from the hole.

Between starts, the Dodgers tried to get Park to focus on moving ahead in the count with his fastball and trying to expand the strike zone. The scouting report on the Reds is that they are a first-pitch hitting team as proved by Larkin's home run on the first pitch in the third.

In his last start, an 8-4 loss to the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks, Park lasted just 2-1/3 innings. Although the Dodgers didn't help by committing four errors.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1--Color) Reds pitcher Brett Tomko watches Charles Johnson trot to the plate with a third-inning home run.

(2) The Dodgers' Eric Young scored in the third inning before Cincinnati's Dmitri Young could make a play.

Evan Yee/Daily News